Desperate Measures is a musical

Musical theatre

Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...

 with music by David Friedman

David Friedman (composer)

David Alan Friedman is a film and theatre composer, songwriter, author, lyricist and conductor based in New York City.His songs include: Listen to My Heart, Help is on the Way, We Can Be Kind, We Live on Borrowed Time, I'll Be Here With You, Just in Time for Christmas and My Simple Christmas...

 and book and lyrics by Peter Kellogg

Peter Kellogg (writer)

Peter Kellogg is a Tony-nominated musical theater book writer and lyricist. He wrote the lyrics and the book for the 1992 production of the Broadway musical Anna Karenina, for which he received two 1993 Tony Award nominations. One for Best Book of a musical and one for the Best Original Score...

. Inspired by William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...

’s Measure for Measure

Measure for Measure

Measure for Measure is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604. It was classified as comedy, but its mood defies those expectations. As a result and for a variety of reasons, some critics have labelled it as one of Shakespeare's problem plays...

, the work is set in the American Old West

American Old West

The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...

 and uses a cast of six.

Premiere

The musical premiered at Lyric Stage in Irving, Texas

Irving, Texas

Irving is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within Dallas County. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city population was 216,290. Irving is within the Dallas–Plano–Irving metropolitan division of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area, designated...

 on May 1, 2004. It was staged and directed by Cheryl Denson, with musical direction by James McQuillen, stage management by Margaret J. Soch, scenic design by Wade Giampa, lighting design by Susan A. White, and costume design by Billie Boston.

The cast was as follows:

• Johnny Blood — Jimmy Nelson
• Father Burns — Brad M. Jackson
• Sheriff Griggs — Ron Gonzalez
• Susanna/Sister Helena — Dara Whitehead
• Governor Muller — Bradley Campbell
• Bella Rose — Gina Biancardi

New York Production

The musical opened at the New York Music Theater Festival on September 12 and ran through September 24, 2006 at the 45th Street Theatre in New York City

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

. The New York cast included Merwin Foard, Patrick Garner, Ginifer King, Jenny Powers

Jenny Powers

Jennifer Diane Powers is an American actress, singer, and beauty pageant contestant. She won the title of Miss Illinois in 2000, and has had major roles in Broadway productions such as Little Women and Grease....

, Max von Essen

Max von Essen

Max von Essen is an American musical theatre actor and vocalist.A son of Rita and Thomas Von Essen, who was the New York City Fire Commissioner during the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, he is the youngest of four children.Von Essen is a 1992 graduate of South Side High School,...

, and Nick Wyman

Nick Wyman

Nick Wyman is an American stage, television, and film actor, and is the President of the Actors' Equity Association.-Career:...

.

Synopsis

The show tells the tale of Johnny Blood, a hotheaded young cowboy

Cowboy

A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...

 who has been sentenced to hang for killing a man in a bar fight. When his sister, Susanna, a novice nun in a nearby Franciscan

Franciscan

Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....

 mission

Mission (station)

A religious mission or mission station is a location for missionary work.While primarily a Christian term, the concept of the religious "mission" is also used prominently by the Church of Scientology and their Scientology Missions International....

, pleads with the Governor for his life, the Governor offers to pardon Johnny on the condition that Susanna sleep with him. The sheriff proposes to Susanna a scheme in which she will appear at first to give in to the Governor's demands, but then, under cover of darkness, switch places with one of the saloon girls.

Act I

• Johnny Blood — All
• That’s Just How It Is — Sheriff
• Respect for the Law — Governor
• Look in Your Heart — Susanna
• It’s Good to Be Alive — Johnny
• It Doesn’t Hurt to Try — Sheriff, Johnny, Susanna, Priest
• It’s Getting Hot in Here — Bella
• You Must Be Good — Susanna, Sheriff, Bella
• Stop There — Sheriff
• In the Dark — All

Act II

• What a Night — Governor
• About Last Night — Governor and Susanna
• Just for You — Bella and Johnny
• What is This Feeling? — Susanna
• Life Takes You by Surprise — All
• It’s Good to Be Alive (reprise) — Johnny
• 2 Brides — Susanna and Bella
• Finale — All